When it comes to developing a cross-platform mobile app, the most popular frameworks are Flutter, Xamarin, Kotlin, and React Native. Each framework has its key features and uses, but if you want to build a cross-platform mobile app on JavaScript with enhanced features, then React Native is the way to go.
But just like any software development project, the people you choose are just as important as the tools you use. That’s why you should choose React Native developers who have excellent technical and communication skills. To find out how to do this, keep reading. But before we do, let’s first cover the basics and benefits of React Native.
What Is React Native?
React Native is an open-source framework developed and released by Meta (formerly Facebook) in 2015. Using JavaScript as the underlying programming language, React Native contains many resources, such as pre-built packages and plugins, that help streamline the software development process. In essence, the framework serves as the foundation of an application, which developers can use to build upon and customize to suit their needs.
With React Native, developers use the same technologies and programming languages to build mobile apps as they do to build web apps. This means they can build both Android and iOS mobile applications with a single JavaScript codebase, so there is no need to write two separate codebases for two separate mobile apps. Developers can also use React Native to access the native UI elements of the platform they are developing for. As a result, they can easily build mobile apps that retain the look, feel, and functionality of the respective platform.
Why Hire a React Native Developer?
Companies should hire React Native developers for many reasons. They offer a fast and efficient way to develop cross-platform mobile apps without compromising native functionality and scalability. This means they can build mobile apps for more than one platform while staying true to what makes each platform unique.
Other reasons to hire React Native developers include the following:
Faster Development Time
With React Native, developers need only one codebase to build Android and iOS mobile apps. This is much faster than native app development, which requires developers to build two separate mobile apps for two separate operating systems.
React Native developers also use native and third-party plugins to build their mobile apps. The use of plugins is much faster than manually writing code for individual components from scratch. On top of this, React Native has a live reload feature, which lets developers see the changes they make in real time – without the need to compile.
Cost-Efficiency
Since React Native is a free, open-source framework, there are no upfront or ongoing licensing costs for developers or clients. Also, using a single codebase to build a cross-platform mobile app can help clients save money as they will spend less time on development and less money on manual labor. The cost of code maintenance is also reduced, as only one codebase has to be maintained.
Specialized Knowledge and Expertise
By bringing specialized knowledge and expertise to the table, React Native developers do something special: Make the cross-platform development experience easy. They achieve this by having high-level expertise in the React Native framework, including associated programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Some also have experience being full-stack web developers.
Understanding JavaScript helps developers build React Native components and integrate third-party components into their apps. They also have hands-on experience with Android, iOS, Windows, and other popular operating systems. This enables them to take full advantage of native, platform-specific UI elements.
Quality Assurance
React Native developers are able to perform quality control at each stage of development. This is achieved through the use of static analysis tools. These tools review a developer’s code as they write it. If the tools detect any potential code errors, they will then notify the good React Native developer and suggest context-relevant solutions.
React Native is also equipped with the Jest testing framework. This framework can be used as a preset to perform rapid testing in most developer environments. Alternatively, developers can use Jest to write their own custom testing procedures.
What to Look for in React Native Developers
There are many qualities to look for in React Native developers. Finding developers with the right qualities will enable you to get the most out of the work they do for you.
These qualities relate mostly to core React Native technical skills, such as experience with the framework and cross-platform performance optimization. Another desirable quality is experience with native Windows, Android, and iOS mobile development.
Here is a more detailed breakdown of what to look for in React Native development services.
JavaScript Experience
Dedicated React Native developers have a strong grasp of the JavaScript programming language, along with JavaScript-based tools. Such tools include Redux, an open-source database building tool; ESLint, a tool used to identify and report errors found in JavaScript and ECMAScript code; and ES6, a tool used to help standardize JavaScript. By hiring developers that use these tools, they will be able to design, test, and release cross-platform mobile apps in a fast and efficient way.
Reactive Native App Development Experience
Although React Native is a framework for cross-platform app development, React Native developers should have experience as native developers. Why? Because developers with native app experience know what makes each platform unique. They know how to access and integrate platform-specific components into their cross-platform mobile apps.
As a result, developers can leverage the individual strengths of each platform so as to deliver a native experience to all users – regardless of the platform they are on. On top of this, if you hire React Native developers with native app experience, then they will be able to integrate new features and optimize performance for each platform more easily.
Knowledge of React Native Packages and Third-Party Libraries
React Native Packages and third-party libraries help expand the capabilities of React Native and the respective app being built. React Native has many Core Components and APIs, which can help expand the functionality of your App. Alternatively, third-party libraries can be included in the stack to further enhance app functionality.
Developers that know how to use the right core packages and third-party libraries will have an easier time enhancing the functionality of their app. They can incorporate libraries that provide more options for UI elements, navigation, splash screens, app icons, and loading placeholders. This way, your app will be more likely to stand out and deliver native apps with a unique twist.
Cross-Platform Performance Optimization
The performance of your cross-platform mobile app has a dramatic impact on the user experience. If your mobile app has poor performance, then your users are more likely to have a bad experience and stop using your app. If your mobile app has great performance, though, then they will have an easier time using your app, finding the information they need, and achieving desirable outcomes.
To achieve great performance on your cross-platform mobile app, React Native developers need to run frequent performance tests. This is relatively easy to achieve, as React Native is designed to hit 60 frames per second. However, it is up to developers to optimize their apps so that they only use the necessary resources. This involves having a deep understanding of caching and optimizing images, reducing irrelevant renders, avoiding arrow functions, and incorporating memory optimization, to name a few. By implementing these strategies, improved performance can be achieved.
Hire React Native Developers in Vietnam
If you are hunting tech talent in Southeast Asia, then Vietnam is an excellent location to find developers.
There are many advantages to hiring developers from this part of the world. Aside from being highly proficient in React Native and cross-platform mobile app development, a Vietnamese React Native developer should possess strong communication skills, team collaboration skills, and a strong dedication to completing projects on time while meeting high-quality standards.
There are many Vietnamese development companies that work with clients around the world. Orient Software has over 18 years of experience working with clients in Europe, the United States, Australia, and other parts of the world. Our Vietnamese- and English-speaking team have the skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to define your vision, provide updates, and bring your vision to life.
On top of this, many Vietnamese React Native developers are located in cities with a strong technology hubs. Some examples of Vietnamese cities with strong technology hubs include Ha Noi City, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang City. Whether you are located near these regions or wish to collaborate remotely, Vietnamese developers are fully equipped to handle large-scale projects on a local and global basis.
Why Choose Orient Software for React Native Development?
Since the launch of React Native in 2015, we here at Orient Software have embraced this framework with open arms.
Our team uses it to build cross-platform apps, which run on Android, iOS, Windows, and other platforms, for clients worldwide. We build attractive, responsive user interfaces for apps that run on multiple platforms but still deliver native performance. And since we need to write only one code base, you save time and money on the development, as you don’t need to hire separate teams to build separate apps.
Best of all? Our project manager will take the time to define your vision, propose a custom plan, and follow through on that plan – until you love the results.
To learn more about Orient Software’s React Native development services, contact us today.